Car-seal.



J. A. OCONNOR & E. FITZGERALD.

CAR SEAL.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 21, 1914.

1,149,462. Patented Aug. 10,1915.

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JEREMIAH A. OCONNOR AND EDWARD FITZGERALD, OF CI-IICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CAR-SEAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10,1915.

Application filed December 21, 1914. Serial No. 878,287.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that'we, JEREMIAH A. OCoN- NOR and EDWARD FITZGERALD, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Car-Seal, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates toan improvement in car seals such as our pending applications, Serial No. 849,67 0 and Serial No. 863368, disclose, of the type having an automatic catch.

The especial object of the present invention is the provision of a car seal having a novel and improved socket that will obviate any possibility of the seal being tampered with and then patched or glued together without disclosing the fact of tampering to even a careless inspector, by reason of the certainty of breakage and destruction of the socket disclosed in this application, or other portion of the seal, if tampered with and an attempt made to repair it in order to conceal the breaking of the'seal.

The objects of the present invention will appear more fully from the following specification, in connection with our copending applications for Patents, Nos. 849,670 and 863,468, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of our car seal applied to the locking bolt on a car door; Fig. 2 is an edge view; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the new socket; Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view on line 4-4: of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the onepiece blank of which our car seal is formed.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Portions of the present seal other than the socket-forming elements are identical with the disclosure in our copending application Serial No. 863,468, and such portions bear reference characters identical with those in that copending application. They consist of an elongated metallic strip or shackle 1, which as cut from" the blank is shown in Fig. 5, having widened slotted end portions and a widened slotted intermediate portion, the aforesaid widened portlons of the blank being folded as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 5 to present the form disclosed in Fig. 2, the slots shown having a width not less than that of the narrower portions of the shackle strip to prevent tampering of the seal because of liability to breakage, as

more fully explained in our copending ap plications; and of a shackle tongue 10, having spaced slots 11 adapted to engage in catch members 13 in the socket.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 2 indicates our socket head portion, bent as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3; 3 indicates the base strip portion of our improved socket; 4, indicates the folded over socket top por tion; 5 indicates a socket top locking flange extending longitudinally from portion l of the blank as shown in Fig. 5; 8 indicates the inner (when folded) laterally projecting wing; 9 indicates the opposite outer laterally projecting wing; and 6 indicates a wing locking flange extending from the end of wing 9. Wings 8 and 9 are positioned, as shown in Fig. 5, slightly offset relative to the socket top portion at the head or mouth of the socket to give it the tapering form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, to more effectively guide the tongue when it enters the socket. WVe further provide a slot 7 in socket head portion 2; a corresponding slot. 5 in looking flange 5; and a corresponding slot 6 in locking flange 6, the three slots mentioned being disposed in alinement in the completed socket to permit of the convenient insertion of locking tongue 10, the tongue having orifices 11 positioned as shown, and adapted to engage with tongues 12 and 13 spaced apart and projecting inwardly from portions 4 and 8 of the socket, as illustrated.

In forming the socket from the blank,

portion or wing 8 is folded over inwardly,

so that it, with portion 1 provides the interior casing of the socket, the inwardly projecting tongues 13 and Y12 constituting automatic catch means of the socket; wing 9 is folded to overlap wing 8. Socket head portion 2 is bent to the offset position shown relative to the shackle 1; and locking flanges 5 and 6 respectively, are bent inwardly to complete the socket and cause slots 7, 5 and 6 to coincide and permit of the convenient insertion of tongue 10 into socket, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Tongues 12 and 13 projecting inwardly from opposite portions of the socket, as shown in Fig. 3, automatically engage with the tonguelO upon its insertion into the socket to lock the seal, in the usual manner.

WVhat we claim'is 1. In a seal, the combination with a shackle and tongue, of a socket comprising a slotted socket head portion, a longitudinally-extending socket base strip, a corresponding extended socket top portion, an inwardly bent slotted flange at the end thereof, laterally projecting wings disposed on opposite sides of the socket cover portion and adapted to be folded over each other,

, nient, a socket top portion having automatic catch means to engagewith the tongue of the seal and having a slotted end flange having its slot disposed in alinement with the slot in the socket head.

3. In a seal, the combination with a shackle and tongue, of a socket comprising an oflset slotted socket head, a socket base strip extended therefrom, a reversely bent socket top portion, having an inwardly projecting tongue, opposite laterally projecting wings adapted to be folded one over the other, the inner wing having an inwardly projecting tongue spaced apart from the tongue of the socket cover portion, and the outer wing having a slotted flange end, and a similar slotted flange end on the socket top portion, said flange ends having their slots disposed in alinement with the slot in the socket head to permit of the insertion of the shackle tongue to lock the seal.

4. In a seal, the combination with a shackle and tongue, of an extended strip portion bent to form a socket head and socket base and having a slot in the socket head, a reversely bent socket cover portion extending from the socket base strip, oifset opposite wings projecting laterally from the socket cover, spaced automatic catch means projecting inwardly from the socket cover and the inner wing, and slotted looking flanges extending from the ends of the socket cover portion and the outer wing, having' the slots disposed in alinement with the slot in the socket head portion for the admission of the shackle tongue to lock the seal, the socket elements being disposed as shown and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aiflx our signatures, in the presence of two witnesses.

JEREMIAH A. OCONNOR. EDWARD FITZGERALD. Witnesses:

ARTHUR H. KATZMANN, lVhNNm KATZMANN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. j i 

